Messages

151

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WDOG 6925 USB 0116 UTC 31 OCT 2022

« on: October 31, 2022, 0201 UTC »

Listening via the Weiser, Idaho, SDR ... fair to good signal, though the noise is a bit high. On my own radio, it's just barely audible through the noise.

0157 UTC: "Money (That's What I Want)" by John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band.
0200 UTC: "It's Money That Matters" by Randy Newman.
0205 UTC: "Baby You're a Rich Man" by The Beatles.
0207 UTC: "King of the Road" by Roger Miller.
0210 UTC: "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison.
0213 UTC: "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. (any song built on a Clash sample is good!) Sounds like dog sound effects being played during this song.
0217 UTC: "Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh.

Thanks for the music!

152

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Thunder Chicken Radio/War of the Worlds 6280 USB 0001 UTC 29 OCT 2022

« on: October 29, 2022, 0013 UTC »

Listening via the Northern Utah SDR ...

0012 UTC: Fair with the intro to Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
0025 UTC: I apparently missed the station ID while I stepped away. Still playing "War of the Worlds." Reception's faded up to mostly good via the SDR.
0038 UTC: Coming in well via the Weiser, Idaho, SDR as well as "War of the Worlds" continues. Not audible here near Seattle yet; it's still daylight here.
0107 UTC: "War of the Worlds" is still going on; hearing some annoying CW interference.
0112 UTC: Orson Welles with his famous "don't freak out" message at the end of "War of the Worlds" as CW interference continues. (They DID freak out not to far from where i live now: https://mynorthwest.com/1158440/concrete-war-of-the-worlds/)
0113 UTC: SSTV transmission; can't decode due to interference.
0114 UTC: Male-voiced Thunder Chicken Radio ID.

153

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Cross & Boner Radio (Zeke) 6925 USB 2146 UTC 28 OCT 2022

« on: October 28, 2022, 2208 UTC »

Listening via Westminster, MD, on one of Chris' SDRs ...

2204: "Torn Apart (Body and Mind)" by Full Eclipse
2206: Short instrumental music, then silence
2207: Waterfall image, then off

154

Shortwave Broadcast / HAARP experiment 4800 AM 0622 UTC 23 OCT 2022

« on: October 23, 2022, 0634 UTC »

This was part of the first night of Amanda Dawn Christie's "audio art" titled "Ghosts in the Air Glow" via the HAARP transmitter up in Alaska. It bounced around on several frequencies during the half-hour, including 4850 and 4800 kHz.

The schedule for the rest can be found here: ghostsintheairglow.space.

I was listening in with poor to fair reception here in Lake Stevens, Washington.

155

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 7000 LSB 0118 UTC 22 Oct 2022

« on: October 22, 2022, 0133 UTC »

Listening via one of Chris' SDRs in Westminster, MD ...

The station that was playing old shortwave interval signals on 7000 kHz is back tonight. He played Radio Austria's at 0118 UTC; now playing Radio Nederland's at 0132 UTC.

This station goes silent for up to a few minutes in between playing each IS. No ID heard the other night nor tonight so far.

The Morse code ID that started at 0139 UTC and is repeating: "VVV VVV VVV DE WLIS WLIS WLIS." The Morse stopped at 0145 UTC.

Checked back at 0214 UTC and heard an electronic piano-type IS repeated until 0217 UTC. Couldn't ID that one from back in the day.

0228 UTC: RAI Italy's old bird call IS, heard via the Northern Utah SDR. Then at 0232 UTC, RAI's old opening theme and announcement.

156

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Yeah Man Radio 6950 USB 2146 UTC 21 OCT 2022

« on: October 21, 2022, 2154 UTC »

Listening via NA5B SDR near Washington, D.C. ... fair to good signal.

2151 UTC: "Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees.
2152 UTC: Male with ID, shout-outs to HFU posters, mentions he's a little under the weather
2153 UTC: "Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys.
2156 UTC: "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins after a retro jingle.
2159 UTC: Announcer back with HFU shout-outs, mentions "million-dollar weekend."
2200 UTC: "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears, then "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension.
2209 UTC: A bit of announcer talking into "I Saw Her Again" by The Mamas & the Papas.
2212 UTC: Mentions ID, frequency, says he adjusted his longwire antenna, but also he's not feeling too well. Says he's about to sign off, but gives email of yeahmanradio@gmail.com.
2213 UTC: "Mellow Yellow" by Donovan, another "solid gold" retro jingle, then "Na na Hey hey, Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam.
2221 UTC: Off.

Thanks for the music!

157

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6930 USB 2127 UTC 21 OCT 2022

« on: October 21, 2022, 2135 UTC »

Solid signal with electronic music and little noise via the NA5B SDR near Washington, D.C. ...

2135 UTC: "Desert of Lost Souls" by Madis.
2137 UTC: Start of a new song, then noisy electronic voice saying something I couldn't figure out.
2138 UTC: Clips of talking, then more music, "You're Always on Time" by Tangerine Dream.
2140 UTC: The male voice mixing with the music sounds like a peskie, actually. Mostly being drowned out by the music now.
2146 UTC: Long tone, then off?

158

Shortwave Broadcast / Re: need help bringing in SW stations

« on: October 06, 2022, 0025 UTC »

I have the earlier model of the Eton Elite Executive, and I never use it while it's plugged in because that significantly increases static and noise on it. Instead, I use rechargeable batteries in it.

Can you string a long-wire antenna out your window? I have both a long-wire and an MLA-30+ loop, and while the loop helps with reception, it also raises the radio noise level more than my wire antenna.

Anyway, others here also have given great advice, too!

159

Equipment / Best type of coax for an antenna feed line?

« on: September 21, 2022, 0536 UTC »

Question from an antenna novice: My long-wire antenna previously was simply connected through a feedline wire that my dog chewed through. So, now, as I resurrect my use of that antenna, I'm using coaxial cable (out of the dog's reach) and proper connectors.

One question: What's the best coaxial type to use for an antenna feed line: plain-old RG6 or something else?

160

General Radio Discussion / Re: A "?"

« on: September 13, 2022, 1627 UTC »

UncleJohn, I'm not too far away from you (I'm in Lake Stevens), and the BBC comes in well on both 12025 and 12095 kHz (12095's not in English) in the morning this time of year from the Singapore relay station.

I also heard Adventist World Radio this morning from Sri Lanka on 11955 kHz, which certainly is not aimed at us, either. If you're anywhere the U.S. West Coast, it's amazing how many Asian and Oceania signals we can pick up on fall and winter mornings.

161

Equipment / SWL antenna: Higher but shorter or longer but lower?

« on: September 13, 2022, 0016 UTC »

Question: I've had pretty good reception the past three or so years using a 50-foot wire antenna on top of my backyard fence (about 6-7 feet from the ground) along the edge of our sloped backyard. I also have an MLA-30+, but the long-wire antenna is still better.

The feed line to this antenna broke (actually, our puppy chewed through it), and as I get ready to fix it, it made me wonder about the one other option I have for antenna placement: We have a deck 15-20 feet off the ground, and I could either string a 25-foot-long wire along the long side railing of that, or string about 40 feet of wire along the three sides of the deck.

On the one hand, that antenna would be much higher off the ground than my fence antenna. However, it wouldn't be as long, and it would be closer to potential RFI sources in the house.

Should I stick with my proven antenna placement, or use the higher-up but shorter location?

162

QSLs Received / Re: Radio Fusion Radio 26 May 2020

« on: September 10, 2022, 0213 UTC »

Received mine tonight as well. The nice thing about long-delayed e-QSLs is that they come as a welcome, out-of-the-blue surprise! Thanks to Sweet Pea Jackson for this.

163

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: X-FM 6285 AM 0213 UTC 24 JUL 2022

« on: July 24, 2022, 0215 UTC »

Yep, heard the instrumental sign-on music start at 0213 UTC. Signal is fair to good via Northern Utah SDR; no sign of a signal yet out here near Seattle, where we're still in daylight.

0217 UTC: Sound clips mashed together for introduction ... "Welcome to Radio Free America!"
0218 UTC: "No Control" by Pepper.
0221 UTC: Redhat on the mic. Talks about buying a new mic on Amazon after his microphone fiasco on the previous broadcast. Then transitioned to talk about the heat and adding AC.
0226 UTC: Reading emails and shout-outs to HFUnderground posters.
0230 UTC: Canned ID and then "Trials" by Starset, then "Sickness" by Grey Daze.
0237 UTC: Canned ID, then "Better Than You" by Metallica. Noise is increasing on the frequency.
0243 UTC: Redhat back on mic, reviewing just-played songs. Then reading HFU posts (including mine) and talking about tonight's reception conditions.
0252 UTC: Time check, canned ID, and then "Dead Memories" by Slipknot.
0257 UTC: "What Do I have to Do?" by Stabbing Westward.
0258 UTC: Still listening via the Northern Utah SDR, but I can hear the carrier starting to fade in on my radio near Seattle.
0301 UTC: Canned ID, then "Leave a Scar" by Marilyn Manson and "Locked in a Cage" by Skillet.
0309 UTC: Redhat back on mic, with information on song he just played, then HFU shout-outs, asking for patience on QSLs. After some more talking, at 0322 UTC, "Lullaby" by Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes.
* * *
0356 UTC: Tuned back in via the Weiser, Idaho, SDR to hear the old college radio classic "Detachable Penis" by King Missile, followed by "Something for Nothing" by Rush. Just barely audio is now being heard at the peaks on my radio near Seattle.

164

General Radio Discussion / Re: FM Band Just Keeps Getting More Crowded

« on: July 13, 2022, 0117 UTC »

   Even though the signal isn't that strong, KSER out of Everett, (a listener supported non-commercial station) has a Wide variety of programming to interest just about everybody's ears. I use my GE Superadio III because of the fine tuning quality & yet I still need rabbit ears (can't erect outside antenna(s) @ current residence) + a 4 foot long wire clipped to the built-in antenna just to get a more or less decent signal! I think you can hear them on the internet...I think. & There's always youtube. When I'm here @ library I usually bring along a, fortunately, very decent pair of ear buds to listen to whatever trips my trigger.

As a member of this discussion board AND a board member of the KSER Foundation (this month's meeting is in 30 minutes!), I very much appreciate and agree with this shout-out. KSER is on 89.9 on Whidbey Island in Washington state, 90.7 in nearby Everett, and online at KSER.org or on the TuneIn app.

165

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: X-FM 6285 AM 0235 UTC 10 JUL 2022

« on: July 10, 2022, 0237 UTC »

Listening via the Weiser, Idaho, SDR since 0252 UTC; before that, I was listening via the Northern Utah SDR ...

0235 UTC: Heard the electronic "warm-up" music starting. So far, I can only hear a carrier signal on my own radio here near Seattle.
0240 UTC: Spoken word soundbite. Heard to hear it, though. Then song "No Control" by Pepper.
0243 UTC: Redhat cracks open the mic, says he forgot his good one. Not bad sound for a $25 mic, Redhat!
0249 UTC: HFU shout-outs from Redhat.
0252 UTC: "Before I Die" by Papa Roach after a canned ID.
0257 UTC: "What You Know" by Two Door Cinema Club (love that song!), then a canned ID followed by "Move in the Right Direction" by Gossip.
0304 UTC: Redhat back on the mic, reviewing the just-played songs and giving a time check. Then talking about music, cellphones, reception conditions, shout-out to HFU posters.
0310 UTC: Canned ID, then "Wild" by Spoon (also love that song).
0313 UTC: Canned ID, then "Shot in the Dark" by AC/DC.
0316 UTC: Played request for "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop (also a great song!).
0322 UTC: "Chaise Longue" by Wet Leg (my favorite song of 2021!). Thanks, Redhat, for playing the request.
0325 UTC: Redhat on the mic reviewing the last few songs played and talking about his mic again. Also, shout-outs to latest HFU posters.
0330 UTC: "How Not to Drown" by CHVRCHES and Robert Smith.
0335 UTC: Canned ID, then "Lay Down" by Alberta Cross.
* * * *
0412 UTC: I've been listening on and off the past ~40 minutes via the Idaho SDR, but I just checked my own radio out here near Seattle again and I can hear audio, albeit just barely, in SSB on my radio as sunset takes over here. I also can hear the carrier in AM mode.
0450 UTC: Checked again and I can now hear snippets of audio at the peaks in AM mode on my home radio here.

Thanks for the broadcast, Redhat!